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Mikey Johnston has scored three times in Albion's last five gamesWest Bromwich Albion completed a season's double over Coventry City to further cement their place in the Championship play-off places.
Fifth-placed Albion were in command from the moment that on-loan Celtic winger Mikey Johnston curled in a beauty after just six minutes.
Grady Diangana then made it 2-0 from close range before half-time when the Coventry defence were foxed by a near-post dummy from skipper Jed Wallace to Tom Fellows' right-wing cross and the Albion man was left unattended to get on the end of it.
Haji Wright gave Coventry hope with a 73rd-minute penalty after Kasey Palmer had gone down under the challenge of Cedric Kipre.
The Baggies' 12th win in 18 Championship home games this season lifted them eight points clear of ninth-placed Coventry, who suffered a second successive Friday night defeat after their home slip-up to bogey side Preston North End a week ago.
More importantly for Albion, they are now seven points clear of the side in seventh, Norwich City.
Coventry had not won at The Hawthorns since December 2007, having not even scored in any of their last three visits - and things quickly looked bleak for them.
Johnston, who had scored in the very first minute in Albion's last but one home game, cut in from the left and, virtually unchallenged, had the time and space to compose himself before curling home a right-foot stunner.
Coventry twice went close before the break with their own right-foot curlers. The first from Josh Eccles somehow bending wide of the left upright before Palmer took careful aim only to land his effort just the other side of the goal frame.
But on 36 minutes the Albion lead was doubled, a bit out of the blue, when Diangana was on hand to slide home Fellows' cross from six yards.
Sky Blues boss Mark Robins brought on top scorer Haji Wright at half-time for Callum O'Hare - but they only got one goal back.
Wright coolly converted his spotkick to claim his 12th goal of the season - his first in five games. But going pointless in successive matches for the first time since early November is a bad time for Coventry to hit a flat spot.
More to follow.
Line-ups
West Brom
Formation 4-2-3-1
- 24Palmer
- 2Furlong
- 4Kipré
- 15Pieters
- 3TownsendBooked at 21minsSubstituted forReachat 65'minutesBooked at 90mins
- 35YokusluSubstituted forChalobahat 70'minutes
- 27Mowatt
- 31FellowsSubstituted forBartleyat 80'minutes
- 11DianganaSubstituted forWeimannat 69'minutes
- 23JohnstonSubstituted forSwiftat 65'minutes
- 7J Wallace
Substitutes
- 5Bartley
- 6Ajayi
- 14Chalobah
- 17Weimann
- 19Swift
- 20Reach
- 25Marshall
- 26Ávila Gordón
- 33Griffiths
Coventry
Formation 3-4-2-1
- 13Wilson
- 4Thomas
- 22Latibeaudiere
- 2Binks
- 27van Ewijk
- 28Eccles
- 29Torp
- 3Dasilva
- 10O'HareSubstituted forWrightat 45'minutes
- 45PalmerBooked at 49mins
- 9Simms
Substitutes
- 6Kelly
- 11Wright
- 15Kitching
- 21Bidwell
- 24Godden
- 30Tavares Desidério
- 40Collins
- 41Lusala
- 54Andrews
Live Text
Match ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Coventry City 1.
Second Half ends, West Bromwich Albion 2, Coventry City 1.
Offside, Coventry City. Bobby Thomas is caught offside.
Corner, Coventry City. Conceded by Erik Pieters.
Adam Reach (West Bromwich Albion) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul.
Foul by Adam Reach (West Bromwich Albion).
Milan van Ewijk (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Corner, Coventry City. Conceded by Nathaniel Chalobah.
Attempt blocked. Josh Eccles (Coventry City) right footed shot from outside the box is blocked. Assisted by Bobby Thomas.
Attempt missed. Ellis Simms (Coventry City) right footed shot from outside the box is too high. Assisted by Victor Torp.
Foul by John Swift (West Bromwich Albion).
Josh Eccles (Coventry City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Alex Mowatt (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Milan van Ewijk (Coventry City).
Foul by Nathaniel Chalobah (West Bromwich Albion).
Kasey Palmer (Coventry City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Alex Mowatt (West Bromwich Albion) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Kasey Palmer (Coventry City).
Corner, West Bromwich Albion. Conceded by Joel Latibeaudiere.
Delay over. They are ready to continue.
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